Prepaid security cellular telecommunications system

ABSTRACT

A cellular telecommunications system having a security feature which allows only pre-authorized users to complete cellular telephone calls. The system and method recognizes a cellular radiotelephone&#39;s pre-programmed and pre-selected telephone number and an automated number identification code (ANI). The pre-selected telephone number is reserved to the pre-paid cellular telecommunications system. The cellular radiotelephone transmits the ANI and a dialed number identification system code (DNIS) to a cellular switch, which contacts a host computer for call validation by the pre-paid service provider. This system also allows pre-authorized users to receive and pay for incoming calls as well as purchase additional airtime and monthly access fees with convenient pre-paid cards.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. application Ser.No. 09/860,640, filed on May 21, 2001, U.S. application Ser. No.09/118,378, filed on Jul. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,236,851, andU.S. application Ser. No. 08/559,283, filed on Nov. 15, 1995, now U.S.Pat. No. 5,854,975, and is a continuation-in-part of and claims priorityto U.S. application Ser. No. 08/364,479, filed on Dec. 23, 1994, nowU.S. Pat. No. 5,722,067, the entire disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a cellular telecommunicationssystem having a security feature which allows only pre-authorized usersto complete cellular telephone calls. More particularly, the cellulartelecommunications system of the present invention permits cellulartelecommunications providers to obtain pre-paid subscribers andeliminate credit-risk problems. In addition, the present inventionprovides anti-fraud protection for cellular service providers byallowing subscribers to designate protection codes which must be dialedbefore a telecommunications event will be completed. Further, thepresent invention provides pre-paid calling cards which allowsubscribers to purchase airtime and pay monthly access fees.

Conventional cellular telecommunications systems require the cellularprovider to undertake credit screening and certify credit-worthysubscribers before enabling a user to access the cellulartelecommunications system. Customarily, a potential subscriber willapply to the cellular service provider, who then undertakes averification process to determine whether the potential subscriber iscredit-worthy. If the potential subscriber has a positive credit rating,the subscriber is given access to the cellular system and is able toinitiate or receive unlimited cellular telecommunications events duringa certain period of time or during a certain number of billing cycles.If the subscriber regularly pays invoices for the telecommunicationsservices, the subscriber's access to the telecommunications systemcontinues unfettered. If the subscriber fails to pay invoices as theybecome due, the cellular service provider has the ability to discontinuethe subscriber's access until the invoice is paid. Thus, pre-paidtelecommunications access is a desirable feature to prevent fraudulentuse of the telecommunications system. Additionally, the presentinvention provides anti-fraud capabilities by requiring that a pass-codeor personal identification number (PIN) be dialed along with the callednumber before a telecommunications event will be completed.

Up to now, the cellular service provider had no means available to offercellular telecommunications services on a prepaid basis, monitor thesubscriber's cellular telecommunications usage in real time anddiscontinue access to the cellular telecommunications servicesimmediately upon exhaustion of a prepaid account balance. Additionally,up to now, cellular service providers had no means available to preventcellular theft by unscrupulous persons retrieving equipment serialnumbers from cellular signal transmissions and “cloning” orreprogramming other cellular equipment to replicate a subscriber'stelecommunications profile.

Also, to date, cellular service providers do not have a means to allowcurrent pre-paid subscribers to purchase additional air time and pay foradditional monthly access fees in real time at a purchase point otherthan a cellular service center in order to provide continued use of thecellular service to the subscriber.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Land-based telecommunication systems have devised a method for allowingpre-paid telephone usage and limiting telecommunications usage to only aperiod equivalent to the pre-paid value. Perhaps the best example ofsuch a land-based telecommunications system is found in U.S. Pat. No.5,353,335 issued Oct. 4, 1994 to D'Urso (hereinafter the “D'Urso”patent).

The D'Urso patent discloses a public switched telephone network (PSTN)which operates on a pre-payment system and has multilingualcapabilities. A telephone user purchases a predetermined quantum ofservice, i.e., telecommunications time before access and is provided acard imprinted with a unique account number. The user is also given aseries of toll free, commonly known as “1-800” numbers which allows theuser to access the prepaid telephone system. Activation of each of thetoll free numbers causes the system described in the D'Urso patent tointeract with the user in the user's native language or in a languagewhich the user desires to interact with the telecommunications system.Upon dialing an appropriate toll free telephone number at a PSTN node,the user is connected through a switching system with a host computer.The host computer prompts the user, typically by digital voice commands,to enter the user's account number, using the PSTN node keypad,imprinted on the user's account card. The authenticity of the enteredaccount number and the available amount of credit is determined by thehost computer. Account authentication and credit balance checking isaccomplished by local area network connection with a service managementcomputer which manages a card database containing account informationfor each outstanding account card. If the account card is valid and anavailable balance is verified, the host computer prompts the user toenter a speed dialing alias or destination telephone number. The user isgiven a pre-set number of attempts to enter a valid alias or destinationnumber. The system performs editing checks on the alias or destinationnumber. Improper entry of a speed dialing alias or destination for thepre-set number of attempts will cause the host computer to disconnectthe user. Upon proper entry of a speed dialing alias or destinationnumber, the host computer compares the available card balance againstthe balance required to make a one minute phone call to the desireddestination. If the available call balance is greater than or equal tothe balance required to make that one-minute call, a voice responds unit(VRU) plays an announcement in the user's chosen language informing theuser that the call is being processed. The VRU computer uses a storedcall rate associated with the caller's destination number and theavailable credit balance to determine the available call duration. Acall duration timer is set in response to the determination of theavailable call duration.

The VRU computer is then directed to out pulse the digits of thedestination number to a network node. When the host computer detects anoff-hook condition from the destination, the call duration timer isstarted and the available call balance is depleted while the call is inprogress. When the host computer detects that the available call balanceis close to depletion, the VRU computer is bridged onto the call andplays a pending disconnect announcement in the users chosen language.Upon exhaustion of the call balance, the VRU plays a disconnectannouncement, the call is disconnected and the host computer sends amessage to the service management computer and database that the balanceon the card is depleted.

Alternatively, if an on-hook condition at the destination occurs beforethe card balance is depleted, the host computer calculates the remainingavailable balance based upon the condition of the call timer andcompares the computed balance to the minimum credit threshold. The hostcomputer then causes a VRU computer to notify the caller, in the chosenlanguage, whether the remaining balance exceeds the minimum creditthreshold, and the value of the available balance and then disconnectsthe calling party. The host computer then sends an update message to theservice management computer and the database, notifying them of thecalculated remaining balance. The service management computer thenoverwrites the present balance on the database with the calculatedbalance sent by the host computer.

While the D'Urso telecommunications system allows for prepaidtelecommunications activity, it is wholly dependent upon user firstcalling a toll free number, inputting account information, waiting foraccount validation, inputting the called destination, waiting fordestination validation and then either being connected or not. TheD'Urso system requires a plurality of input events by the user before acall can be passed to the destination. Moreover, the D'Urso system lacksdirect interface with the remote database for real time account balanceadjustment during a telecommunications event. Rather, in the D'Ursosystem a host computer queries a remote management server database todetermine an available credit balance. The host computer then looks up atelecommunications rate for the destination number called, calculates atime value corresponding to the credit balance for the destinationnumber and either authorizes or rejects the attempted call on the basisof the calculated time value. If the attempted call is authorized, acalculated time value timer is set. Upon occurrence of an off-hookcondition at the destination called, the calculate time value timer atthe host computer is decremented until a pre-determined threshold value.As the threshold value is reached, a voice messaging is bridged onto thecall to advise the user of the remaining calculated time value. Uponexpiration of the calculated time value, the call is disconnected. Afterdisconnection due to either 1) expiration of the calculated time value,or 2) an on hook condition at the called destination, the host computerrecalculates the credit balance from the remaining time value and sendsan update record to the management server and database and overwritesthe previous credit balance information stored at the database. In thismanner, the database is not actively updated as the telecommunicationsactivity is occurring.

Those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that the prepaidland-based telecommunications system described in the D'Urso patent isfundamentally different from the cellular-based telecommunicationssystem of the present invention.

SUMMARY

A need has been recognized for a cellular telecommunications systemwhich permits access by pre-paid users, without the need for modifyingthe cellular radiotelephones commonly in use. The present inventionprovides a system and method which recognizes cellular radiotelephonespre-programmed with a pre-selected telephone number and an automatednumber identification code (ANI). The pre-selected telephone number isreserved to the prepaid cellular telecommunications system. The usermerely enters the destination telephone number and activates an off-hookcondition, typically by depressing a “send” button on the keypad of thecellular radiotelephone. The cellular radiotelephone then transmits theANI and a dialed number identification system code (DNIS). Because allcellular systems operate on the basis of discrete cell sites, whichre-transmit the received signal to a central cellular serviceorganization cellular switch, both the ANI and the DNIS are transmittedto the cellular switch. At the cellular switch, the ANI is recognized asone reserved to the pre-paid cellular system and is re-directed, alongwith the DNIS, to the pre-paid cellular system switch via T1 and linesor via cellular re-transmission.

At the pre-paid cellular system switch, a host computer authenticatesboth the ANI and DNIS. Upon recognition of a valid ANI, the hostcomputer establishes communications via either a local area network(LAN) or wide-area network (WAN) with a remote computer database server.At the remote computer database server, a database is maintained withpre-paid subscriber information. The pre-paid subscriber databasecontains records of each pre-paid subscriber. Each subscriber record inthe database includes, at least the ANI assigned to that pre-paidsubscriber, a pre-paid account balance and a time rate fortelecommunications charges.

The host computer validates the received ANI by comparison to the ANIinformation in the database. Upon validation of the received ANI,account balance information for the account associated with the receivedANI is queried to determine if there is a positive credit balance. Uponverification that the account has a positive credit balance, the hostcomputer out pulses the dialed destination telephone number to a localexchange carrier, such as one of the Regional Bell Operating Companies.

During the call progress, the account balance information at thecomputer database server is decremented based upon elapse ofpre-determined time periods at the predetermined time value for cellulartelecommunications. It is important to note the time value is deductedfrom the account balance at regular intervals of time while the call isin progress.

The present invention allows a pre-paid user to access the cellulartelecommunication system and have authentication and accounting occurtransparently without any preliminary input by the user. The presentinvention accomplishes this by using the ANI as the file link toidentify and authenticate the cellular telephone against the database.Thus, cellular telephone users are freed of the need to carry and usecards, are freed of the need to enter account information as a firststep in the authentication process and the possibility of fraud on thecellular service providers is minimized.

The present invention also allows pre-paid subscribers to acceptincoming calls from landline callers and provide a prepaid calling cardprocedure to subscribers so that the system's subscribers canconveniently purchase additional airtime and pay monthly access fees.Finally, the present invention provides a unique interface between thesystem cellular switch and point-of-sale (POS) so that messages and datapackets can be passed back and forth to perform specifically desiredtransactions.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing more detailed description of the present invention when takenwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a typical cellular telecommunicationssystem interfaced with the cellular telecommunications system of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic call flow of the prior art prepaid land-basedtelecommunications system.

FIG. 3 is a call flow diagram from a typical cellular radiotelephone.

FIG. 4 is a call flow diagram at a cellular switch in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 5 is flow diagram illustrating call validation processing at a hostcomputer in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating call processing at the centraloffice in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating call accounting processing at ahost computer in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8A is a flow diagram illustrating incoming call processing inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8B is a flow diagram illustrating account validation.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating prepaid calling and processing.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating interface processing between thesystem cellular switch and the point-of-sale (POS).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The prepaid cellular telecommunications system of the present inventionis best illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichFIGS. 1 and 3 through 8B generally describe the system of the presentinvention and FIG. 2 depicts the prior art system described in theD'Urso patent.

With particular reference to FIG. 1, the pre-paid cellular system 10 ofthe present invention is illustrated. The pre-paid cellular system, 10interfaces with a conventional cellular telecommunications switchednetwork 2. Conventional cellular telecommunications switched network 2is a network consisting of a plurality of cellular antennae, such asantenna 4, capable of receiving cellular band RF signals 5, with eachantenna being located in a discrete cell site such as site 6. Eachantenna is electrically linked to cellular switch 8 which governs theoperation of the cellular telecommunications switched network 2 andlinks the network 2 to local exchange carrier 20 via T1 landline 12.

In accordance with the present invention, a cellular service provider 14is linked to the cellular telecommunications switched network 2 cellularswitch 8 via T1 landlines 15. The cellular service provider 14 has aplurality of cellular telephone numbers reserved to it for pre-paidsubscribers. Each reserved cellular telephone number has a uniqueautomated number identifier (ANI) associated with the reserved telephonenumber. These reserved cellular telephone numbers are stored in a switchcomputer resident at switch 8. The cellular service provider 14 iselectrically linked to the local exchange carrier 20 via T1 landlines 7to communicate cellular telephone calls from the service provider 14 tothe local exchange carrier's regular network.

The service provider 14 has host computer 16 which is preferablynetworked through either a local area network (LAN) or wide area network(WAN) 21 to a remote server computer 18. In this manner a plurality ofservice providers may, within a single cellular service, operate fromthe same remote server computer 18. The remote server computer 18 has anassociated database 19 of pre-paid subscribers, which is independentlyaccessible by each of the service providers.

The host computer is preferably based upon a multi-processor platformsuch as those made by Intel Corporation and based upon the 486 orPENTIUM microprocessor, with each host computer having a plurality ofmodems and network interface circuit boards capable of simultaneousbi-directional processing of telecommunications data between the T1 landlines 15 and the modems and between the host computer and the remoteserver. The remote server is also preferably a multi-processor basedplatform capable of distributed load processing, and fitted with aplurality of network interface circuit boards. The database ispreferably stored across a plurality of hard disk drives configured as aredundant array of independent drives (RAID).

In the foregoing manner, a cellular transmission 5 received by anantenna 4 within a cell site 6 is received at switch 8. If the ANI andDNIS transmitted with the cellular transmission 5 is one of the reservedpre-paid cellular telephone numbers, the switch 8 re-directs thetransmission 5 to the service provider via the T1 and line 15. Thetransmission 5 is communicated to the service providers' host computer16, which then authenticates the ANI and DNIS by accessing the servercomputer 18 and database 19. Upon valid authentication of the ANI andDNIS, the subscriber identity is validated. The database 19 will haverecords indicative of the subscriber's account balance. A check of thesubscriber's account balance in the database 19 is made to validate thepresence of a pre-paid balance sufficient to supply a pre-determinedquantum of telecommunications, e.g., one minute, at a predeterminedtelecommunications charge rate associated with both the dialed numberand the time of day in which the call is placed. Upon account balancevalidation, the host computer 16 validates the call and passes it to thelocal exchange carrier 20 via the T1 landline 17.

A pre-payment telecommunications system 30 of the prior art isillustrated with reference to FIG. 2. The system 30 requires that apre-paid user first dial a toll free access number at block 32. Uponconnection with the toll free access number, the user must enter anassigned account number imprinted on a card at block 34. After the cardaccount number is validated at block 36, a counter is set at block 44and a check is made at block 46 to determine whether a call on theentered account is in progress. A negative validation at block 36 willcause an invalid card flag to be initiated at block 38 and anappropriate voice message from a voice response unit (VRU) announced atblock 40. If an affirmative response is not elicited from the check atblock 46, the VRU prompts the user to enter a destination telephonenumber at block 48. A validation check is made at block 50 of the dialednumber entered in response to the VRU prompt at block 48. If thevalidation check at block 50 is affirmative, a database associated witha management computer is called at block 54 and the account's recordsare retrieved for credit balance determination. A check is made of thecredit associated with the card account to determine whether the user'saccount has any available credit at block 56 and whether the availablecredit exceeds a pre-determined minimum threshold at block 52. Anadditional check is made to determine whether sufficient credit in theuser's account balance to pay for a threshold time value of a call,e.g., one minute, based upon a time value rate for the destination beingcalled is determined at block 58. If the determinations made at blocks52, 56 and 58 are negative for block 52 and affirmative for blocks 56and 68 the call is passed by out pulsing the dialed number at block 60.If a negative determination at any of blocks 56 or 58 or an affirmativedetermination at block 52 is made, an appropriate voice message isplayed by the VRU at block 40 and the user is disconnected at block 42.

Upon connection with the destination number; an off-hook condition ofthe destination is sensed at block 62. If an off-hook condition existsat the destination, a timer is started at block 64 which continues untilan off-hook condition exists at the destination and the timer is stoppedat block 66. Upon a stop timer condition at block 66, the managementcomputer is called and updated by overwriting the user's account recordwith updated information based upon the elapsed time of the call and thetime value of the call at block 68. The VRU then issues an appropriatevoice message 40 to advise the user of the revised account balance andwhether the user is disconnected at block 42.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the foregoingdescription of the pre-paid telecommunications system of the prior art30 requires the user to first access a toll-free number to be linked toa host computer, and then must enter an account code and wait forvalidation and then enter a destination number, and wait for validationbefore the call is passed. The present invention operates advantageouslywith a cellular telecommunications system to eliminate the need for atoll free host computer to interact directly with the user, andeliminate the need for the pre-paid user to make multiple keypadentries. Rather, as will be more apparent from the following descriptionof the preferred embodiment, the user only enters the destination numberand all call processing is handled by the host computer in conjunctionwith the cellular switch.

Turning now to FIGS. 3-8B, call flow in the pre-paid cellulartelecommunications system of the present invention is illustrated. It isimportant to note that the cellular radiotelephones used by pre-paidsubscribers are of a conventional type, without special circuitry,modification or programming. Rather, each cellular radiotelephone usedby prepaid subscribers is programmed, in the normal manner, with apredefined cellular telephone number reserved to the pre-paid cellulartelecommunications system 10.

FIG. 3 illustrates call initiation by a pre-paid cellulartelecommunications subscriber. The subscriber initiates a cellular callat block 72 by entering the destination number directly at the keypad ofthe cellular radiotelephone. After the subscriber enters the callednumber, the subscriber sends the destination number (DNIS) by activatinga send key on the keypad of the cellular radiotelephone at block 74. Thecellular radiotelephone then transmits the DNIS and an ANI unique to thetransmitting cellular radiotelephone at block 76 as cellular signals 5to the nearest antenna within the cell site.

FIG. 4 illustrates call processing by the cellular switch 8. Thecellular switch 8 is constantly in a wait condition for receipt ofcellular transmission from a plurality of subscribers within thecoverage area of the cellular switch. The cellular switch receives thetransmitted DNIS at block 78 and the transmitted ANI at block 79. Uponrecognition of the ANI as a unique ANI identifying a subscriber in theinventive pre-paid cellular system, the cellular switch routes thecellular call through a direct line to a host computer of the inventivecellular system at block 80 and goes off-hook to the host computer atblock 82. The cellular switch then waits for receipt of a wink signal atblock 84. Upon receipt of a first wink signal at block 84, the cellularswitch sends the ANI to the host computer at block 88. Those skilled inthe art will understand that the sequential order of sending the DNISand ANI may be reversed. After sending the DNIS and ANI, the cellularswitch waits for an off-hook condition from the host computer to connectthe cell. If the host computer fails to go off-hook within apre-determined period of time, the cellular switch drops the caller.

Call processing at the host computer is illustrated in FIG. 5. The hostcomputer's initiated zero state is to wait for a cellular switchoff-hook condition to the host computer. Upon receipt of an off-hookcondition from the cellular switch, the host computer send a first winksignal to the cellular switch at block 102 which tells the cellularswitch to send the DNS. The host computer then receives the DNIS 103from the cellular switch at block 104. After receiving the DNIS at block104, the host computer sends a second wink signal to the cellular switchat block 106 which tells the cellular switch to send the ANI. The hostcomputer then receives the ANI 107 from the cellular switch at block108. The host computer accesses the subscriber database from the remoteserver 11 and loads the database record corresponding to the receivedANI to memory at block 109. The received ANI is validated against thedatabase record in memory as one belonging to a pre-paid subscriber atblock 110. Upon ANI validation at block 110, the host computer thenvalidates the subscriber's pre-paid balance based upon the DNIS and timeof day rate, e.g., peak or off-peak time rates, at block 112.

Those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that theprocessing of the DNIS and ANI signals may occur in reverse order, andthat different cellular service providers may use alternative signals torepresent the dialed number and the subscriber's cellularradiotelephone. For example, the cellular radiotelephone's electronicserial number (ESN) may be transmitted instead of the ANI. The ANI isreferenced, herein only by way of example.

Upon balance validation at block 112, the host computer goes off-hook tothe cellular provider at block 113 and a predetermined minimum time rateis decremented from the subscriber's balance in memory at block 114 andthen the call accounting loop is initiated at block D. While at presenttime, it is preferable to use memory, those skilled in the art willunderstand that future improvements in LAN and WAN communication speedsand database read-write speeds may obviate the desirability of loadingthe accounting processing. The host computer then out pulses the DNIS,or another host computer-modified signal including the called telephonenumber, such as a pass-code or PIN number, or the DNIS stripped of thearea code, to the local exchange carrier for connection to obtain acentral office (CO) line at block 116.

Turning now to FIG. 6, the CO is in a zero state waiting for an off-hookfrom the host computer at block 118. Upon an off-hook condition from thehost computer at block 118, the CO goes off hook to the host computerand presents a dial tone at block 120. After the T1 land line has beenseized, the DNIS or a host-computer modified DNIS, is received androuted over the T1 land line to the number dialed out by the hostcomputer at block 122. The CO then waits for an off-hook condition atthe called telephone number at block 124 and connects the call.

Immediately upon occurrence of an off-hook condition at the callednumber, the call accounting flow illustrated in FIG. 7 is executed.while the CO negotiates and seizes a T1 line from the local exchangecarrier, the host computer waits at block 126 for an off-hook conditionat the called number. Immediately upon occurrence of an off-hookcondition at the called number, the account balance in memory isdecremented by a predetermined value, corresponding to a minimum timerate based upon the DNIS and the time of day rate, e.g., $0.02 for eachsix seconds of telecommunications time at an off-peak, i.e., after 7:00p.m. local time. Thus, for example, immediately upon occurrence of anoff-hook condition at the destination number, a minimum time value ofone minute is decremented from the account balance resident in memory.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention,the account balance read into memory is translated to a time value basedupon the caller number (DNIS) and the time of day rate applicable. Inthis manner, the account balance is converted to a time value, e.g.,number of second or number of minutes, and the time value is decrementedbased upon elapse of pre-determined time periods while either thesubscriber's cellular telephone or the called number are off-hook.

After the elapse of a time period equal to the predetermined minimumtime value, the account balance is queried at block 132 to determine ifthere is a sufficient account balance for an additional quantum of theminimum time value. If a sufficient account balance is determined toexist at block 132, the process loops back 133 and decrement the accountbalance by the predetermined minimum time value at block 128. Processloop 133 continues to execute until either the subscriber or the callednumber are on-hook at block 130 or until a negative response issues tothe account balance validation at block 132. If either of an on-hookcondition at the subscriber the called party at block 130 or the accountbalance is not validated at block 132, a disconnection occurs,accounting ceases and the call, including the DNIS and the elapsed timeof the call are logged to the database resident at the remote server(not shown) and the remaining account balance is written to the databaseat block 134. The system then bridges to a voice response unit andissues a voice message to the subscriber advising the subscriber of theremaining account balance at block 136. Where it is technically feasibleto decrement the account balance directly from the database, withoutloading the account balance to memory at the host computer, thoseskilled in the art will understand that the step of writing the adjustedaccount balance to the database may not be a necessary step.

The foregoing describes the call handling process for outgoing callsfrom a cellular subscriber. In those cellular service areas where thecellular service is offered only a “calling party pays” basis, there isno need to monitor or control telecommunications events incoming to thesubscriber. However, in those cellular service areas where a cellularservice is offered on the basis that the subscriber paystelecommunication charges irrespective of whether the subscriber isoriginating or receiving a call, the present system provides a methodfor monitoring and controlling incoming cellular telephone calls to thepre-paid subscriber and adjusting the prepaid subscriber's accountbalance for incoming calls.

Inbound Landline

The security cellular telecommunication system of the present inventionalso has the ability to accept incoming calls from landline callers. Ingeneral, separate blocks of 10,000 cellular system subscribers' phonenumbers are allocated to direct inward dialing (DID) trunks from thelocal exchange carrier to the cellular system switch. These numbers arethe same numbers that are loaded into the mobile telephone serviceorganization (MTSO) or cellular carrier switch as the phone numbers ofthe system subscribers. If the land-line caller's dialed number matchesa phone number dedicated to the inventive cellular system, the call isrouted to one of the DID trunks going to the cellular switch. The LECswitch is on a rotation so it will hunt for any available channel at thecellular switch. The signaling on the trunks that pass calls from theLEC to the cellular switch and the cellular switch to the MTSO is asingle stage wink-start DID protocol.

FIG. 8A illustrates a flow diagram which depicts the steps to completethe connection of a landline incoming call with a cellular subscribernumber in accordance with the present invention. The local exchangecarrier (LEC) 200 signals that there is an inbound call from a landlinephone attempting to contact a pre-paid subscriber's telephone numberunique to the pre-paid cellular telecommunications system of the presentinvention as shown in Step One 202. The LEC 200 can send signals on anyof the available LEC trunk channels. If the signaling for the inboundcall is valid, the cellular switch 204 sends a wink signal back to theLEC 200 in Step Two 206 indicating that it is ready to receive digitswhich relate to the land-line caller's dialed number. In Step Three 208,the LEC 200 sends a multi-frequency digit string comprised of either thelast four, seven, or ten digits of the landline caller's dialed number.The number of digits sent will depend on the direct inward dialing trunksetup. The string of digits is prefaced by a key pulse (KP) digit andflanked by a stop (ST) digit. The landline caller's dialed number willbe a cellular system subscriber's telephone number that the landlinecaller is trying to reach. The number of digits sent may be appended toa system configurable default area code and/or prefix depending on thenumber of digits that are initially sent by the LEC 200. If the LEC 200fails to send all of the digits within a specified period of time, theerror is logged and the system returns to waiting for the LEC 200 tosignal that it has an incoming call.

Once the cellular switch 204 receives all of the digits, the cellularswitch 204 checks for account validity 210 relating to the dialeddigits. The cellular switch 204 which enables access to the hostcomputer for the cellular system allows a check of whether the accountis active, whether the account is subject to restrictive dialing (e.g.,restricted either by time of day that cellular system is activated or bytelephone numbers that cellular system is allowed to connect with), andwhether there is sufficient money in the account to pay for a one minutecall based on the subscriber's air-time rate table. If the account isdetermined to be valid for use 212 in relation to the incoming call, thecellular switch 204 signals the cellular carrier (CC) or mobiletelephone service organization (MTSO) 214 that there is a call coming.If the account is not valid for use 216, the landline caller is notifiedthat the cellular system subscriber is unavailable 218. The call is thenlogged and the system returns to wait for the LEC to signal that it hasa new incoming call. The steps involved in checking for account validityare further detailed in FIG. 8B.

FIG. 8B shows a flow diagram for determining account validity. After thecellular switch receives the dialed digits in block 230, thesubscriber's data record is retrieved from the host computer database inblock 232. Next, the subscriber's basic airtime rate table is extractedin block 234 from the subscriber's data record. The rate tableidentifies peak and off-peak rates for weekdays, weekends, and holidays.A real-time clock runs on the cellular system. The real-time clock isused to identify the current time of day and the per-minute airtime ratefor that time of day is selected in block 236.

The subscriber's remaining balance is extracted from the subscriber'sdata record in block 238 and block 240 calculates whether thesubscriber's account balance holds an amount of money that is equal tothe amount required for at least a one minute call at that time of theday. If there is not an adequate amount in the subscriber account for aone-minute call, the landline caller receives a message in block 242that the subscriber is unavailable. If there is an adequate amount ofmoney in the subscriber's account, the subscriber's restricted accesstime is extracted from the subscriber's data record in block 244.

The subscriber record will contain a time-of-day that the subscriber'sphone is to be activated and a time-of-day that the subscriber's phoneis to be deactivated. The period of time falling outside of theseparameters is the subscriber's restricted access time and the timeperiod falling within these parameters is the subscriber's “activewindow.” Block 245 determines whether the current time of day fallswithin the subscriber's restricted access time. If the current time ofday falls within the subscriber's restricted access time, the landlinecaller receives notification in block 242 that the subscriber isunavailable. If the current time of day falls outside of thesubscriber's restricted access time, the access payment due date isextracted from the subscriber's data record in block 246. Block 247determines whether the current date is past the access payment due date.If the current date is past the subscriber's access payment due date,the landline caller is notified in block 242 that the subscriber isunavailable. If the current date is not past the subscriber's accesspayment due date, the cellular switch signals the MTSO that there is anincoming call in block 248.

Returning now to FIG. 8A, the next available MTSO trunk channel is usedto signal the MTSO 214 that there is an incoming call. If all of theMTSO channels are unavailable, the landline caller is notified by a busysignal and the system returns to waiting for the LEC 200 to send asignal that there is an incoming call. Once there is an available MTSOtrunk channel and the cellular switch 204 signals the MTSO 214 thatthere is an incoming call, the MTSO 214 winks back to the cellularswitch 204 in Step Four 220 indicating that the MTSO 214 is ready toreceive the dialed digits. If the MTSO 214 does not wink back in aspecified period of time, the error is logged and the system returns tolocating an available MTSO trunk channel and signaling the MTSO 214 thatthere is an incoming call. In Step Five 222, the cellular switch 204sends a multi-frequency digit string to the MTSO 214 which comprises thecellular system subscriber's telephone number that the landline calleris trying to call. The digit string is prefaced by a KP digit andflanked by a ST digit.

The inbound LEC trunk channel is then connected to the MTSO trunkchannel in Step Six 224, thereby providing an audio path for the calland allowing the caller to hear ringing of the subscriber's telephone.If the MTSO 214 does not detect a connection (i.e. there is either abusy signal or no answer) within a specified period of time, the audiopath between the LEC 200 and the MTSO 214 is disconnected, the call islogged, and the system returns to waiting for the LEC 200 to signal thatthere is another incoming call. Alternatively, if the MTSO 214 detects avalid answer indicating that the subscriber has taken their phone “offhook”, the valid answer signal is sent to the cellular switch 204 inStep Seven 226 so that the account balance can be debited. Thesubscriber account balance is then debited per minute in accordance withpreviously described FIG. 7.

Prepaid Calling Cards

The security cellular telecommunication system of the present inventionalso includes a prepaid calling card procedure. The purpose of theprepaid calling card is to provide a convenient means for the cellularsystem subscribers to purchase additional airtime and pay monthly accessfees. Calling cards for use with the inventive system are printed,bundled, and made widely available at outlets such as conveniencestores, grocery stores, etc. The calling cards are sold in fixeddenominations so that a subscriber can purchase a specific number ofcards in order to raise their account to a desired balance. However, theprepaid calling cards do not allow a subscriber or user to start anaccount, stop an account, or change restrictions or prompt language.

Calling cards for a specified area are printed with a unique andencrypted-number which allows them to be tracked by a point-of-sale(POS) system. The encrypted number includes a special dialing string,the card type, possible card value, local area code, and a form ofchecksum. The special dialing string is an identifier to the systemcellular switch that the incoming call is coming from a calling card andis to be handled as such. The card type identifies whether the card isan airtime credit or a monthly access credit. The card value providesvariable credit values. The local area code identifies where the cardwas purchased so that cards purchased from the jurisdiction of onearea's POS database could not be used in another. The checksum providesa cursory way of checking the entire number for a possible misdial whenthe subscriber calls the number in.

The POS system holds a database of all “spent” or “used” calling cardsfor its area. When a subscriber purchases a card and enters it intotheir telephone, the POS checks to see that the card has not beenpreviously used by checking the card's number against a list of “spent”cards.

A flow diagram showing the prepaid calling card method is illustrated inFIG. 9. A subscriber purchases one or more calling cards at block 250from an outlet such as a convenience store or a grocery store, aspreviously described above. The prepaid calling cards are of two types,either airtime credit cards or monthly access credit cards. Afterpurchasing a card, the subscriber enters the card number into the keypadof their system cellular telephone at block 252. After entering thenumber, the subscriber presses the “send” key just as in making aregular telephone call on the cellular telephone. The system cellularswitch receives the number at block 254 and uses the special dialingstring to determine that the call is to be processed as a calling cardtransaction.

The cellular switch then performs a cursory checksum check of the numberentered at block 256 to validate that the number was entered correctlyand not misdialed. If an invalid checksum results, a possible misdial isreported to the subscriber at block 258 and the call is disconnected atblock 260 without incurring any charges. If a valid checksum results,the system cellular switch reports the subscriber's current accountbalance to the subscriber at block 262 and the cellular switch sends thereceived card number and the subscriber's telephone number to the POSsystem at block 264. At this point, airtime charges begin to accrue andare incurred by the subscriber for the duration of the transaction.

The card number is validated at block 266 where the card number enteredis compared with a list of card numbers that have already been “used” or“spent.” If the card number entered is found on the “used” list, thesubscriber is informed of the card's “spent” status at block 268 and thecall is disconnected at block 260. The validation step at block 266 alsoinstructs the POS to check that the card being entered is a card that isvalid for the specific POS system by comparing the local area code fieldof the card number with the POS area code identifier. If the area coderelating to the calling card is found to be invalid for the area coveredby the POS, the invalid area is reported to the subscriber at block 268and the call is disconnected at block 260.

If the card number is determined to be valid at block 266, thesubscriber's account is credited at block 272 according to the card typeand value. The new credit balance is then reported to the subscriber atblock 274 and the call is disconnected at block 260.

When a prepaid access fee credit card is entered into the system, theaccess fee is covered for another month and the access fee due date isupdated accordingly. Multiple access fee due dates being entered duringany one given month will result in the access fee due date movingfarther and farther out in time. The entire procedure outlined in FIG. 9must be repeated for each individual calling card.

Interface Between System Cellular Switch and Point-of-Sale (POS)

The system cellular switch is connected to the Point-of-Sale system viaan Ethernet link. Messages and data packets are passed back and forth toperform desired transactions. FIG. 10 illustrates the possible types oftransactions between the system cellular switch 300 and the POS 302.

A number of transactions are carried out by sending or transferringinformation from the cellular switch 300 to the POS 302. For example,the call activity logging function in block 304 involves passinginformation about a specific call that was recently terminated from thecellular switch 300 to the POS 302 for insertion into the database. Theinformation is then archived in the system and can be used to provide adetailed report on call activity. Further, the calling card validationand account crediting function in block 306 transfers the subscriber'stelephone number and the calling card number they entered into theircellular telephone from the cellular switch 300 to the POS 302 for cardvalidation and subsequent account crediting.

Also, the cellular switch 300 in block 308 confirms to the POS 302 thatrequested updates to a subscriber's data record have been successfullyexecuted. Finally, the switch error annunciation function in block 310sends information about a switch error from the cellular switch 300 tothe POS 302 so that those viewing a terminal are alerted that there is aproblem.

There are also a number of transactions that are carried out by sendingor transferring information from the POS 302 to the cellular switch 300.For example, the call activity logging acknowledgment function in block312 confirms to the cellular switch 300 that the received activityrecord has been successfully archived into the POS database. Also, thecalling card validation response function in block 314 informs thecellular switch 300 that the received calling card number for aspecified subscriber is either valid or invalid. Further, acknowledgmentfor receiving an error message from the cellular switch is sent from thePOS 302 to the cellular switch 300 in block 316 to indicate that theerror message has been successfully archived and that the propernotification has taken place. Finally, the subscriber update function inblock 318 sends the modified subscriber data record which has beenupdated at the POS 302 from the POS 302 to the cellular switch 300 whereit replaces the current record information for that subscriber.

Thus, in the present invention, the disadvantages of the prior art areovercome, particularly as those disadvantages would affect a cellularuser. By eliminating the need for the user to make unnecessary dialingentries and limit the user's dialing entry only to the destinationnumber the present invention represents a valuable and needed advance inthe art. Additionally, by using the ANI to identify the subscriber,rather than the situs of the call, the present invention provides fortransparent call processing for the end-user and achieves a fraudtolerance level not presently available to service providers.

Further, the present invention allows for prepaid cellular subscribersto accept incoming calls even when their cellular service requirespayment for incoming calls. Also, the present invention includes aprepaid calling card means which allows subscribers to convenientlypurchase and add additional airtime as well as pay for monthly accessfees. Finally, the present invention provides for a unique interfacebetween the system cellular switch and the pint-of-sale (POS) whichenables specifically desired transactions to take place such as:providing particular reports, validating cards and crediting accounts,validating account updates, and identifying problems within the system.

While the invention has been described with reference to its preferredembodiments, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciatefrom the foregoing that variations in equipment, operating conditionsand configuration may be made and still fall within the spirit and scopeof the present invention which is to be limited only by the claimsappended hereto.

1. A method, performed at a wireless service provider, of managing preauthorized telecommunications service, the method comprising: receiving, at the wireless service provider, user input corresponding to information obtained from a vended media that represents a specific, predetermined level of credit; and modifying, at the wireless service provider, accounting data in account based on the user input, wherein modification of the account comprises increasing credit available for wireless telecommunications service by the predetermined level of credit.
 2. The method of claim 1 in which the accounting data is modified in response to receipt of a single transmission sequence from a wireless communications device.
 3. The method of claim 2 in which the transmission sequence is delimited by entry of a transmit command on a wireless communications device.
 4. The method of claim 3 in which entry of the transmit command comprises pressing a “send” key on a keypad of the wireless communications device.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, at the wireless service provider, a static identifier of a wireless communications device.
 6. The method of claim 5 in which the static identifier comprises an automated number identifier (ANI) or an electronic serial number (ESN) or both.
 7. The method of claim 6 further comprising transmitting the static identifier with the user input in a manner that is transparent to a user of the wireless communications device.
 8. The method of claim 1 in which the user input corresponds to information obtained from a prepaid wireless telecommunications card.
 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, prior to receipt of the user input at the wireless service provider, receiving the user input from the wireless communications device at a wireless telecommunications center and passing it on to the wireless service provider.
 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, at the wireless service provider, an identifier of an account of the user of a wireless communications device.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the user input comprises an alpha/numeric value that includes a checksum.
 12. The method of claim 1 in which the account is associated with a wireless communications device and is located based on an identifier of the wireless communications device.
 13. The method of claim 12 in which the identifier is an ANI.
 14. The method of claim 12 in which the identifier is an ESN.
 15. The method of claim 12 in which the identifier is transmitted to the wireless service provider transparently to the user of the wireless communications device.
 16. A method of managing preauthorized telecommunications service, the method comprising: receiving information comprising an identifier and user input, obtained from a vended medium, that comprises information other than a destination number (DNIS) and that represents a specific, predetermined level of credit; routing the identifier to a wireless service provider; and modifying an account at the wireless service provider based on the user input and the identifier.
 17. A wireless telecommunications system, comprising, in combination: (a) a plurality of wireless radiotelephones each having a predetermined subscriber telephone number; (b) at least one public switched telephone network; (c) at least one wireless carrier; (d) at least one wireless switch in communication with at least one public switched telephone network; (e) at least one host computer in communication with said at least one wireless switch; (f) a processor resident in the wireless switch for receiving signals from both the at least one public switched telephone network and the wireless carrier and sending signals to both the at least one public switched telephone network and wireless carrier; and (g) a processor resident in the at least one host computer that accepts and evaluates a subscriber database comprising a plurality of records representing subscribers to the wireless telecommunications system and including pre-paid account balance information for each subscriber, wherein the host computer receives an alpha-numeric value corresponding to a set value of airtime to be added to a prepaid subscriber account balance, the alpha-numeric value allowing a set value of air time to be added to the prepaid subscriber account balance.
 18. The wireless telecommunication system of claim 1 wherein the subscriber database further comprises activation and deactivation times for subscribers' telephone numbers.
 19. The wireless telecommunications system of claim 18 wherein the at least one host computer communicates over a local area network.
 20. The wireless telecommunications system of claim 18 wherein the at least one host computer communicates over a wide area network.
 21. The wireless telecommunications system of claim 18 wherein the subscriber database connected to the at least one host computer is resident on a redundant array of independent devices operably associated with and readable and writable by the at least one host computer.
 22. The wireless telecommunications system of claim 18 wherein the processor resident in the at least one host computer outputs adjusted subscriber account balance information upon completion of a telecommunications event with the dialed number and writes the adjusted subscriber account balance information to the subscriber database thereby updating the subscriber database with the adjusted subscriber account balance information.
 23. The wireless telecommunication system of claim 17 wherein the public switched telephone network comprises at least one local exchange carrier that communicates with the at least one wireless switch and at least one host computer over land based telecommunication lines.
 24. The telecommunication system of claim 17 wherein the at least one host computer further includes a memory which is used to unload subscriber account information into the memory from the subscriber database, which subscriber account information is decremented in memory during a telecommunications event upon connection with a dialed number. 